Domino's Pizza: Woman asked age in job interview receives £4k
- Published
Janice Walsh was paid £4,250 after taking the case against the owner of the Strabane branch
A woman who was asked her age during an interview for a job as a Domino's Pizza delivery driver has received an apology and a financial settlement.
Janice Walsh believed she was later turned down for the role at the branch in Strabane, County Tyrone, because of her age and sex.
She took a discrimination case against the Strabane franchise and its owner at the time, Justin Quirk.
Mr Quirk paid Ms Walsh £4,250 and apologised for the incident.
BBC News NI has contacted Mr Quirk for a response but has yet to receive a reply.
Ms Walsh said the first question she was asked in her interview was about her age.
She said the interviewer wrote her answer before circling it and saying: "You don't look it."
'Age an issue'
Ms Walsh later found out she had not been successful in her application for the role.
"I immediately thought back to the interview and the question about my age," she said.
"I believe my age was an issue and it had affected the decision made by the interview panel."
Ms Walsh then messaged the shop on Facebook, telling them that she believed she had been discriminated against because of her age.
Janice Walsh was told the work of a delivery driver tended to suit people aged 18 to 30
A member of the interview panel contacted her and apologised.
She was told they did not know it was inappropriate to ask someone their age when interviewing for a post.
In a later conversation with another Domino's Pizza employee, Ms Walsh was told the nature of the work tended to suit younger people, between 18 and 30 years old.
'Stereotypical views'
Ms Walsh believed she was also discriminated against based on her sex.
"I've only ever seen men working as drivers and I think I was overlooked for a driver position because I am a woman," she said.
"Domino's continued to advertise for drivers after the interviews had taken place."
Ms Walsh was supported in her case by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Mary Kitson, the commission's senior legal officer, said it was important employers of any size were aware of the basics of equality legislation.
"People involved in recruitment and selection should be familiar with how people are protected by the legislation in order to keep the employer on the right side of the law," she said.
"It's really important not to allow stereotypical views of who can do particular jobs to influence decisions."
In a statement, Domino's said they operate a franchisee model and that "store employment and recruitment is the responsibility of the franchisee".
"The franchisee in question has since, in unrelated circumstances, left the system and the Strabane store is under new management," they said.
"We pride ourselves on being an inclusive business with a diverse work force and we recognise the important role we play in the communities we serve."